Winter tire question

"JR1" (type35bugatti)
03/19/2016 at 19:18 • Filed to: Snow tires, mustang

How stupid would I be to sell a 4x4 S10 to buy a V8 New Edge Mustang for a DD plus winter duty? Would aggressive snow tires be able to handle a brutal mid west winter? Or am I asking to go into a ditch?

DISCUSSION (30)

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:24

I DD a Trans Am on all-seasons. It’s doable.

JR1 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
03/19/2016 at 19:26

Do you live in a snowy and hilly area during the winter with no back up?

AM3R shamefully returns > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:29

I think you will definitely be able to manage. My 335i was able to drive (a little bit) during the 30"+ storm we got in the DC area, and I'm just on new all seasons.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:30

Snowy: Yes (Although not this year)

Hilly: No (Kansas)

JR1 > AM3R shamefully returns
03/19/2016 at 19:31

Good to know. I didn't think it would really be possible

Hey Julie > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:31

I drove a sn-95 v8 year round for 3 years on summer tires in Colorado with no backup and no incidents. Spent an ungodly amount of time getting myself unstuck though. It depends on how confident you are and how willing you are to risk it.

JR1 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
03/19/2016 at 19:32

Okay. I guess it depends on which part of Ohio I move law school to see if I have to contend with the hills

JR1 > Hey Julie
03/19/2016 at 19:33

Don't want to risk it but I figure on level ground with snow tires it would be pretty doable. Especially if I got chains to go with it

AM3R shamefully returns > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:36

All you have to do is drive safely and slowly. I’m thinking of investing in some legit winter tires eventually, but I haven’t really seen a HUGE need for them yet in my area.

whoarder is tellurium > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:37

Um, it is dicey. I’ve made it through 2 winters now with 300hp, snow tires and RWD but I had to break out the sandbags this year.

Sandbags + winters helps a lot, mainly for braking and handling. Acceleration and getting up even the slightest incline(s) is another thing.

Planning, car control and keeping momentum will get you through most situations. However, depending on how clear the roads are, it can get rough. I’ve held 100-200 ft “drifts” just trying to accelerate and keeping the car in my lane.

If you like to drive and are up for a daily challenge... RWD in winter can be a daily “fun” event. Regardless, I am still planning on having a separate AWD vehicle for winter (the Audi). AWD is great in rain/snow. RWD is great in everything else.

Urambo Tauro > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:39

It’s manageable with some practice. The more familiar you are with the car’s limits, the better. I’ve had my ’95 on all-seasons for a few years now here in Michigan. I’m strongly considering winter tires once these wear down, though.

Hey Julie > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:40

Yeah with snow tires you’ll be fine for sure. Keep some cat litter or sand in the trunk and you’ll be golden especially if it’s a manual. My 280zx on sport tires did alright this winter but I did have some sketchy moments. When we got the first big snow of the year I was tandem drifting with my buddy in a Wrx with snow tires and he spun and hit a tree so driver skill and restraint helps a lot as well

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:50

I’ve survived 7 winters, if that’s any help.

Master Cylinder > JR1
03/19/2016 at 19:50

It’s not a Mustang, but my 944 does just fine in Michigan winters with Blizzaks mounted. If you’re careful and keep your driving inputs smooth, you should have no worries, at least until the snow gets deeper than your ground clearance allows.

jimz > Hey Julie
03/19/2016 at 19:55

it is very bad advice to even hint that it might be ok to drive on snow with summer tires. The other (darker) side to how easy it is to get stuck is how poorly your braking will be.

so many people seem to think the primary purpose of winter tires is to avoid getting stuck. They somehow seem to forget all about how they also improve steering and stopping capability. On snow, the Goodyear Wrangler RT/S (junk) will have the ABS in my 4x4 Ranger chattering away even on gentle stops. When I put the Winterforce UVs on it, I barely get any ABS activation even with a near panic stop.

JR1 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
03/19/2016 at 20:00

It does! Thanks.

Danger > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:03

Drove a 350+HP Grand National through Chicago winters with good tires. Doesn’t do much for the value of the car, but I had zero problems actually driving.

slipperysallylikespenguins > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:11

Should be fine. I drove a Camaro for 3 winters in MN in high school. First year had summer tires, other years had all seasons. Never hit the ditch, but would often get stuck in parking lots. I had little plastic traction plates to put under my tires when need be.

Busslayer > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:12

I drove a Fox Body GT a few winters in Wisconsin. It is doable, but certainly not great. I used winter tires but you still needed to think ahead. You don’t want to get caught where you have to stop in deep snow on any kind of incline. You’ll eventually get going again but you’ll be that guy holding up traffic. Momentum is your friend. Once you are moving steering and stopping are fine.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:14

I’m in the “JUST DO ITTTT” crowd. One thing to keep in mind, is that if you get a huge amount of snow one day, choose that as your sick day. :) There are really only a small handful of days that you actually have to worry about.

TooLazyToNotBurner > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:19

I've spent a few Canadian prairie winters with an 05 Golf and winter tires. I'd still pick that car over a truck any day of the week unless there is more than 12" of fresh snow. Then I'd stay home and go snowshoeing.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:30

Buy the very, very best snow tires you can. Preferably studded. I daily drove a ‘95 GT MT for two years through northern Canadian winters on cheap all seasons. I got stuck a lot but I loved the car. My Father had a ‘91 cougar ( also fox platform like the mustang) with studded blizzac winters. Damn thing was unstoppable.

VincentMalamute-Kim > JR1
03/19/2016 at 20:41

I daily drove a RWD mini-pickup for 6 years in Minneapolis. It was bad until I got winter tires. So it’s perfectly doable. I bet you will be better off than most people with FWD running all-seasons.

Hey Julie > jimz
03/19/2016 at 21:20

I'm just speaking from personal experience. Regardless of what anyone on the internet tells me or what anyone trying to sell me tires tell me, I have always been fine on Sumemer tires in snow.

Hey Julie > Hey Julie
03/19/2016 at 21:20

I'm certainly not saying they are good in the snow or that winter tires are bad or unhelpful I'm just saying he should be fine with winter tires on a mustang

jimz > Hey Julie
03/19/2016 at 21:32

yeah, but that’s the same argument people make when they say “back in my day, we didn’t have seatbelts and when we were kids we crawled around the car all the time, and we were fine.” yeah, you were fine, but the 50-60,000 people who died on the road weren’t “fine.”

Just because you made it work doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

My “personal experience” with summer tires in winter is getting stuck on 1" of hard packed snow on level ground. Or watching the idiots in RX-8s and BMW 3-series not being able to get up their own driveways. Or being in my office’s Mazda 3 and careening through an intersection with ABS chattering because the tires had no grip.

If you live in an area which get significant snow, and you try to drive on it with summer tires, you’re a moron.

Hey Julie > jimz
03/19/2016 at 21:58

I don’t think I’m a moron, I think you are waaaay overreacting. I never said “hey man drive on summer tires in the winter.” I was using my experience driving in Colorado winters which included not Kicking on the ABS because I pump the pedal like they teach us in drivers Ed, not skidding through intersections and not crashing as a way to illustrate that he would be fine driving on winter tires because I was fine on summers. Your shitty experience getting stuck on flat ground and locking up your breaks isn't relevant to the advice I gave him. If anything I was extolling the virtues of winter tires.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > JR1
03/20/2016 at 12:18

All I’ve ever had is 2wd. My first car was a 2.2L 5 speed S10, then a 95 6 speed Z28, then a Cobalt SS/SC, now a 6 speed GTO and as of this winter a 6 speed Colorado. Only the Colorado has been on factory all-season (aka no-season) tires. I drove 9 winters so far with the GTO on winter tires and only once got stuck when I tried to drive through about 8" of unplowed neighborhood snow. With the right tires and some planning ahead while you’re driving, you shouldn’t have any problems. I did all of this in Minnesota.

DynamicWeight > JR1
03/21/2016 at 14:12

I drove a V8 mustang in Buffalo winters on all seasons. It did fine. The hardest part was getting out of parking spaces. Oh, and one time I was driving in the back country and had to find a less steep road to get up a hill. Them mustang went half way up and just stopped. The key, of course, is to drive slowly and in control. Oh yeah, and be fearless. If you’re a worrier you’re going to hate it.

JR1 > DynamicWeight
03/21/2016 at 14:38

Well I'm a worrier so shit